Black chokeberry berries taste very interesting - they are tart and "knit" a little. Jams, jams, marmalades and compotes from it are bland, as they say - not for everybody. But the wine from dark purple, almost black, berries turns out to be excellent: thick, rich, deep ruby hue and with a taste of nutmeg.
Chokeberry wine is not difficult to prepare. Its fruits are sorted out and washed, and then crushed and drained into a container. In order for the berry to give away all the juice, it, already squeezed out, is transferred to a glass or enamel dish and left in a room with an air temperature of 18-20 degrees.
When the pulp ferments, it is squeezed through a clean cloth and this juice is added to the primary juice. The liquid is filtered and poured into a bottle.
The spent fruits are not thrown away, but poured with water, the amount of which should be equal to half the volume of juice. Within a day, the water will draw out all the residues of sugar, acids, tannins and dyes from the pulp, therefore, after 24 hours, the liquid is drained and the fruits are squeezed out well.
For each liter of juice, 250-300 g of sugar are added, but they do it in two stages: some are added immediately, after dissolving in a small amount of juice, and the remainder - after 2-3 days, when the contents ferment well.
An important point: the bottle is filled only ¾ so that the liquid does not flow out during fermentation. The plug must be loosened, as the container can break up the carbon dioxide that is released during the boiling. It is better to seal the container with cotton or a cloth - this way the gas will escape, but microorganisms will not penetrate inside.
Gas can also be removed with a water seal. Its simplest design is a plug with a hose in the hole, the end of which is located in a jar of water. To achieve tightness, the gaps between the cork and the rubber tube are filled with wax or glue.
Chokeberry wine should ferment well, for which it is placed in a warm place. For about two weeks, the juice ferments violently, and then calms down and the remaining 15-20 days there are no strong reactions.
After the expiration date, the young wine is carefully drained, getting rid of the sediment. This is a rough version - too coarse and tart wine gives off alcohol. To bring it to mind, you need to add sugar (150 g per 1 liter) and keep it cool for at least a month. During this time, the sugar will dissolve, mix with all the constituents of the drink, and the wine will become thin and pleasant to the taste.
